Page 53 of A Fall to Remember

Miranda unlocked the front door to the Green Grocer, making sure the Closed sign was still visible in the window. Thank goodness she had plenty of work to do to get the store ready for customers.

She read through the note and daily sales total her staff had left for her last night.

The numbers were even better than she anticipated. The post-parade crowd had clearly been in a shopping mood. Miranda did a quick spin through the shop. It looked like the shelves had been hit by a pack of locusts. Nearly all the extra stock she’d purchased of organic strawberry, raspberry, and apricot jam was gone. The bread baskets had been picked clean. Although most of the loaves were delivered daily from the local bakery. She texted them to see if she could double her delivery.

The pastry case is looking sad and lonely. Any chance we can add any seasonal items you can spare?

Miranda added three thank-you emojis to the text.

There was a small kitchen behind the deli case where she prepared everything for the deli and their daily soups, but she didn’t have industrial ovens or the space necessary for baking in large quantities. That was the gift of the Green Grocer. It was the best of both worlds. She was able to feature products and goods from small businesses in the community, import specialty items, and offer her own family recipes.

She plugged in the twinkle lights and turned on an autumnal playlist. It took her just under an hour to put the store back into shape, order new inventory, and chat with the vendors dropping off deliveries. Twice, she found herself dancing as if she were still in Jim’s arms. The shop came to life slowly as she warmed chai on the stove. The calming aromas of ginger, cardamom, star anise, and peppercorn filled the room as she rearranged the shelves and unwrapped packages of new cheese and meats to fill the deli case.

Every time there was a knock on the door, her heart skipped a beat.

But by the time she officially opened the store, he still hadn’t shown up. She tried to push thoughts of him away as she greeted customers and encouraged tourists to try the new chai spice morning buns and jumbo pumpkin oatmeal muffins that the local baker had kindly added to her regular order.

There was barely time to touch base with Elise because the store was buzzing by ten a.m. That wasn’t always common on Saturday mornings. Usually, the weekends saw a slower start, but not today. There was a steady line for sandwiches and deli items as people headed out for day hikes before the pumpkin-weighing contest and bonfire later. Plus, there was the added cachet of Miranda’s latest viral video. Everyone wanted to know about Pete. Where was he? Was it already serious with Lacy? Had she seen how cute and cozy they looked last night?

Miranda couldn’t shake her worry about Pete. Why was he so upset last night, and why had he traded shifts with Elise? It wasn’t like him. He was avoiding her for sure, which confirmed what she felt intuitively—something was wrong.

When there was a brief lull in the line, she did a quick sweep of the dining area, gathering any empty plates or glasses and wiping down the tables with their signature cleaner—a mixture of lemon, verbena, and rosemary.

“Have you heard from Pete?” she asked Elise, who was reorganizing the collection of cute fall mugs at the cash register. They had also been a hit. Miranda had ordered an assortment of ceramic mugs in the shape of pumpkins, gourds, and adorable forest animals. They’d already sold out of the raccoons, chipmunks, and owls. The front counter also displayed candies, mints, tea packets, and stickers—little items that customers could easily add to their orders.

“No, was I supposed to?” Elise carefully stacked their signature green coffee and tea mugs on the edge of the counter. They were running precariously low on stock of those, too. Branded Green Grocer shopping totes, aprons, hoodies, hats, T-shirts, and mugs had been Elise’s idea, and Miranda was pleased with how popular the items had been.

“I wasn’t sure if he was planning to come in at all.” Miranda glanced at the clock above the deli case. It was almost noon. She needed to leave soon to meet Jim and Shelby at the pumpkin weigh-off.

“He never said.” Elise used the sleeve of her Green Grocer hoodie to wipe a smudge off the computer screen. She wore her hair in a flouncy ponytail tied with a paisley scarf. “Do we need him? Isn’t the weekend crew taking over soon?”

“Yes, yeah, we’re fine.” Miranda smoothed down her apron, feeling slightly ridiculous for even asking. She’d never been a smother as some of her friends referred to highly overprotective parents. She always tried to give Pete autonomy and encourage him to follow his own path and find his own adventures. She’d been thrilled that he seemed to want and enjoy spending time with her. In fact, she’d attributed that to her giving him a balance of solid comfort and the freedom to roam.

Suddenly, she found herself second-guessing her parenting style. Had she put too much of her energy and attention on him? Could that be why he was upset about seeing her kiss Jim? But Pete had been the one strongly encouraging her to focus on herself. All of this, even Catalina Island, had been his idea.

“You seem distracted, Aunt Mimi,” Elise said, studying her with new interest. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine. Fine.” Miranda waved her off and scooted back to the deli case. “It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s all good.” She smiled brightly at her niece and turned her attention to a young couple agonizing between the pesto turkey panini and her spicy tuna sandwich. “Might I suggest our half-and-half combo?” Miranda said, gesturing to the chalkboard menu. “You can try each and have a cup of our creamy chicken soup or Italian meatball.”

She had an easy solution for most problems, short of figuring out how to broach the subject of her love life with Pete.

Speaking of her love life, the doorbell jingled and Jim stepped inside. Her heartbeat bounced like a runaway Super Ball picking up speed. He looked incredibly dashing, like he stepped straight off the set of a fall movie in his light jeans, brown loafers, and a cranberry pullover sweater. Not many men could pull off the gray scarf that Jim had casually looped around his neck, but he wore it like a pro. He caught her eye across the shop and waved with his fingers.

Miranda pressed her lips together, trying to act natural. She finished packing up the order and gave the couple a few of her favorite off-the-beaten-path places to spot whales breaching or to pull off for lunch with a view.

“Thank you so much for the flowers. What an unexpected surprise,” she said, wondering if he was picking up on the quivering tone in her voice or the way she needed to clutch the counter to steady herself.

“Thank you for a wonderful night. I’ve been thinking about you all morning and couldn’t wait to see you.” The space between them crackled with heat as Jim watched her like she was the most fascinating creature he’d ever seen.

“Me too.” Miranda’s cheeks flamed. He’d been thinking about her, too. She willed her body not to betray her right now. It was all she could do not to leap over the counter and jump into his arms.

“You’re under my skin, Miranda Brown.” Jim held her gaze so intensely, Miranda thought she might melt into a puddle on the floor.

She was saved by her staff who showed up to take over the afternoon shift.

Jim motioned to her. “Go ahead. I’m not in a hurry. I’ll wait for you however long it takes.”

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